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Time
differences
France is GMT +1 (in summer).
Telecommunications
Telephone:
There
are 30.8 million telephone lines and 1 person out
of 2 has a mobile phone.
The country is divided into 5 regions with
different codes, e.g. Paris and its region is 01 +
8 numbers, the north west is 02, the north east is
03, the south east is 04 and the south west is
05
To phone France from abroad, you have to dial the
country code, 33 followed by the regional code +
the number of your correspondent. Within France you
have to dial the regional code + the n°, even
within the same region.
For the French territories you have to dial 00,
then the country code + the 6 numbers of your
correspondent. To call abroad from France, dial 00
+ the country code + the number of your
correspondent.
French
territory codes :
Guadeloupe
(590) ; Guyane (594) ; Martinique (596) ;
Réunion ( 262) St-Pierre-et-Miquelon
(508),
Mayotte (269).
Other
useful numbers :
- 12 :
information
- 18 : fire brigade
- 15 : emergencies
- 17 : police
Radio/Television
:
Television
channels:
- «ANTENNE
2»
- «CANAL FRANCE INTERNATIONAL»
- «CANAL+»
- «LA CINQ»
- «FRANCE RÉGIONS 3 (FR3)»
- «M6»
- «LA SEPT»
- «TÉLÉVISION FRANÇAISE
(TF1)»
- «TV5 EUROPE»
+ many others if you have a cable or satellite
television
Radio
channels :
-
« EUROPE 1 »
- « RADIO FRANCE »
- « RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE (RFI)
»
- « RADIO MONTE CARLO (RMC) »
- « RADIO TÉLÉ LUXEMBOURG
(R.T.L.) »
- « SOCIÉTÉ NATIONALE DE RADIO
TÉLÉVISION FRANÇAISE OUTRE MER
(RFO) »
- « SUD RADIO »
+ many other local and regional channels
Press/Newspapers
:
The main French dailies are :
-
« La Croix L’Événement
»
- « L’Équipe »
- « Le Figaro »
- « France Soir »
- « L’Humanité »
- « The International Herald Tribune
»
- « Libération »
- « Le Monde »
- « Le Parisien »
- « Le Quotidien de Paris »
- « Ouest France »
- « Le Progrès »
- « Sud Ouest »
- « La Voix du Nord »
The
leading weekly papers are
:
- « Le Canard Enchaîne »
- « L’Événement du Jeudi
»
- « L'express »
- « Le Journal du Dimanche »
- « Le Nouvel Observateur »
- « Paris Match »
- « Le Point »
Airports
Several large towns in France have their own
airports:
Bordeaux :
Tel. 05 56 34
50 00/Fax. 05 56 34 23 01, web site :
www.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 13 kms west, taxi fare 130 F,
parking (1h) 10 or 18F, public transport : Jetbus
37F
Clermont-Ferrand
Tel 04 73 62 71 00, web site :
www.clermont-fd.cci.fr
Distance from town : 6 kms, taxi fare 70F, parking
(1h) 7F, public transport : navette 25F
Corse
:
Airport Ajaccio
Campo Dell’Oro : Tel. 04 95 21 13 66/Fax. 04
95 20 42 65
Dijon
:
Airport Dijon
Bourgogne : Tel. 03 80 67 67 67/Fax. 03 80 63 92
15
Lille
:
Airport Lille
Lesquin : Tel. 03 20 49 68 68 web site
www.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 12 km, taxi fare 100F, parking
(1h), public transport : bus 30F
Lyon
:
Airport Lyon
Satolas : Tel. 04 72 22 72 21/Fax 04 72 22 74 71,
web site www.lyon.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 25kms east, taxi fare 200 F
Lyon centre, 180F Villeurbanne, parking (1h)
12F,
public transport : Satobus 49.50F, Satobus Grenoble
: 130F
Marseilles
:
Airport
Marseille Provence : Tel. 04 42 14 14 14/Fax. 04 42
88 04 77, web site www.marseille.aeroport.fr
Distance from
town :
25kms north-west,
taxi fare
200F, parking (1h) 14F,
public
transport:
bus Marseilles : 50F, bus Aix-en-Provence 44F
Montpellier
:
Airport
Montpellier Méditerranée : Tel. 04 67
20 85 00/Fax. 04 67 22 02 12,
www.montpellier.aeroport.fr Distance from town : 7
kms south-east, taxi fare100F, parking (1h) 14F,
public transport : bus 25F
Mulhouse
:
Airport Basel-Mulhouse : Tel 03 89 90 31 00,
www.euroairport.com
Distance from town : 25 kms Mulhouse, 5 kms Basel,
taxi fare 250F Mulhouse, 35FS Basel, parking (1h)
6F/1.50FS)
public transport : bus Mulhouse 40F, bus Basel
2.80FS
Nantes
:
Airport
International Nantes Atlantique : Tel. 02 40 84 80
00, www.nantes.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 8kms south-west, taxi fare
110F, parking (1h) 5F/10F, public transport :
navette 38F
Nice
:
Tel 04 93 21 30 30, site web
www.nice.aeroport.fr
Distance from town 7kms, taxi fare 150F, parking
(1h) 12 F, helicopter service from Monaco
public transport : bus Nice railway station 23F,
bus Nice bus station 8.50F, bus Sophia Antipolis
40F
Paris
:
Airport Paris
Charles de Gaulle : Tel. 01 48 62 22 80/Fax. 01 48
62 67 12, www.adp.fr
Distance from town : 25 kms north-east, parking
(1h) 14 F,
public transport : RER (train) to town every 10
minutes : 49 FF
Bus every 15 minutes : 48 FF
Air France bus every 12 minutes : 60 or 70 Frs
Paris
:
Airport Paris
Orly : Tel. 0149 75 15 15, www.adp.fr
Distance from town : 14km south, taxi fare 160F,
parking (1h) 14F,
public transport : RER (train) 31.50F, Orlyval 57F,
Orlybus 35F, Jetbus 26.50F, Air France bus 45F
Transfers Orly-CDG : RER 104F or Air France bus
75F
Pau
:
Tel 05 59 33 33 00, site web
www.pau.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 7 kms north, taxi fare 100F,
parking (1h) 5F, public transport : bus 30F
Poitiers
:
Airport
Poitiers Biard : Tel. 05 49 58 28 85
Strasbourg
:
Strasbourg
International Airport : Tel. 03 88 64 67 67/Fax. 03
88 68 61 12, www.strasbourg.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 7kms north, taxi fare 150F,
parking (1h) 10F, public transport : bus 27F (bus +
tram)
Toulouse
:
Airport
Toulouse Blagnac : Tel. 05 61 42 44 00,
www.toulouse.aeroport.fr
Distance from town : 10kms north-west, taxi fare
110F, parking (1h) 13F, public transport : bus
23F
Car
rental
In France
you drive on the right side of the road and give
priority to vehicules coming from the right.
The speed limits are 50 kph in built up areas, 110
kph on major roads and 130 kph on the highways.
Avis
:
Avis has one or several offices in all the towns in
France.
The telephone number of the central reservation
office is 08 02 05 05 05 or 33 1 55 38 68 60
A few towns :
Aix en Provence : 04 42 21 64 16
Ajaccio : 04 95 23 92 55, airport 04 95 23 56
90
Amiens : 03 22 91 31 21
Avignon : 04 90 87 17 7, airport 04 90 84 17 70
Biarritz : 05 59 29 26 88, airport 05 59 23 67
92
Bordeaux : 05 56 91 65 50, airport 05 56 34 38
22
Calais : 03 21 34 66 50
Cannes : 04 93 94 15 86
Clermont-Ferrand : 04 73 25 72 06, airport 04 73 91
18 08
Dijon : 03 80 43 60 76
Grenoble : 04 76 86 62 50, airport 04 76 65 41
96
Le Havre : 02 35 22 77 73, airport 02 35 53 17
20
Lille : 03 20 06 40 32, airport 03 20 87 59 56
Lyon : 04 72 33 37 19, airport 04 72 22 75 43
Paris 01 42 66 67 58, airports Le Bourget 01 48 38
51 00, Orly 01 49 75 44 92, Roissy 01 48 62 34
34
Marseilles : 04 91 93 02 92, airport 04 42 14 21
63
Monaco : 00 377 93 30 17 53
Montpellier : 04 67 92 51 92, airport 04 67 20 14
95
Mulhouse : 03 89 44 18 18, airport 03 89 90 29
39
Nice : 04 93 80 63 52, airport 04 93 21 36 33
Perpignan : 04 68 34 26 71, airport 04 68 61 58
97
Rennes : 02 99 31 10 01, airport 02 99 85 99 85
Saint Malo : 02 29 40 18 54
Saint Tropez : 04 94 97 03 10
Strasbourg : 03 88 78 03 99, airport 03 88 68 82
53
Toulouse : 05 61 47 33 38, airport 05 34 60 46
50
Tours : 02 47 49 21 49, airport 02 47 49 21
49
All Avis cars are
completely equipped, have done less than 15,000 kms
and have an average age of 3 months. The vehicles
are carefully prepared and checked between each
rental using a procedure containing 7 obligatory
control points. The cars are rented with a full
tank.
Renting from Avis automatically means that the car
passengers, renter and/or driver are covered by a
third party insurance as well as an insurance
covering repatriation and the immobilization of the
vehicule in case of an accident.
You can reserve a
car :
- from your travel agent
- from the international reservation centre at 0
820 05 05 05
- or from any Avis agency
Avis has an interactive network worldwide, a client
can reserve a car instantly from anywhere in the
world.
We recommend that
you pay your rental using your accredited Avis card
or with another credit card accepted by Avis :
American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners.
Through a simple free membership system, Avis gives
identity and/or payment cards, which are a real
help for a rapid and efficient service.
REASSURING : No
on-line payment, you can pay Avis directly at the
agency when you return the car
RAPID : Avis has the quickest car rental
reservation service on the web
ECONOMICAL : The cheapest rates on the market are
available on the Avis microsite
COMPLETE : You can rent a car anywhere in the
world.
The Avis network : 5000 agencies in 172 countries,
is now on-line!
EFFICIENT : Find your town (you don't have to fill
in the country), enter the date and click on
estimate
PRACTICAL : You only have to fill in 4 boxes and
you will receive an e-mail confirming the
reservation.
You can even rent a vehicle at the last minute just
round the corner or ... on the other side of the
world.
Hotels
& restaurants
(see also
our list in Useful Addresses).
Hotels
A short selection :
Lyon
- Le Colbert, 4 rue des Archers, tel 04 72 56 08
98
Renovated, a welcoming hotel, 20 rooms from 310F to
330F
-Globe et
Cécile, 21 rue Gasparin, tel 04 78 42 58
95
A comfortable hotel furnished with antiques. 60
rooms from 370F to 740F
- La Cour des
Loges, 6 rue du Boeuf, tel 04 72 77 44 44,
courdesloges.com
An ensemble of 14th and 17th century houses around
a courtyard. 62 rooms from 1200F to
3000F.
Avignon
- Le Magnan, 63 rue du Portail Magnanen, tel 04 90
86 36 51
Simple and quiet, most of the rooms are arranged
around a charming patio. 31 rooms from 305F to
375F
- Le Blauvac, 11 rue de la Bancasse, tel 04 90 86
34 11
In the centre of the old town, a 17th century house
with 16 rooms from 340F to 415F
- Le Garlande, 20 rue Galante, tel 04 90 80 08
85
Next to the church tower of the St Didier church,
decorated in Provencal style. 12 rooms from 330F to
400F.
Bordeaux
- Le Libertel Claret, in the centre of the Charton
district, tel 05 56 01 79 79 Fax 05 56 01 79 00
From the top floor you get a splendid panorama over
the town.
Montpellier
-Hôtel Sofitel Tel 04 67 99 72 72 Fax 04 67
65 17 50
Ideally situated next to Antigone and two minutes
away from the place de la Comédie. A very
pleasant hotel with a panoramic view over the town
from the 8th floor.
Nantes
-Hôtel Novotel Nantes Cité des
Congrès, Tel 02 51 82 00 00 Fax 02 51 82 07
40
In the heart of the renovated district around the
St Félix canal, a light and pleasant area
just a few minutes from the centre of
town.
Toulouse
- Grand Hôtel Jean Jaurès, Tel 05 34
41 31 21, Fax 05 61 63 15 17
Well placed not far from the station, the Capitole
and the Saint Seurin district. The service is
perfect and the staff are very nice.
Nice
-Le Méridien, 1, Promenade des Anglais, tel
04 97 03 44 44 Fax 04 97 03 44 45
In the centre of the city, but in greenery, the sea
is visible from all the rooms on all the floors.
314 rooms which are soundproof and airconditioned.
An open air pool on the 10th floor, and a
gym.
Marseilles
-Hôtel Sofitel Vieux Port, on the Old Port,
tel 04 91 15 59 00 e-mail
HO542@accor-hotels.com
Restaurants
A small selection :
Lyon
- Le Petit Léon, 3 rue Pleney (menu at
98F)
- La Meunière, 11 rue Neuve (menus from 99F
to 151F)
- La Mère Brazier, 12 rue Royale (menus from
185F to 325F)
Avignon
- La Ferme, chemin des Bois, île de la
Bathelasse (menus from 115F to 180F)
- La Fourchette, 17 rue Racine (menus from 100F to
150F)
- Brunel, 46-48, rue de la Balance (menus from 98F
tot 158F)
Montpellier
-La Brasserie du théâtre, 22 bd Victor
Hugo
Toulouse
-Le Bon Vivre, on the place Wilson, specialized in
regional cuisine.
Your
Suitcase
In
summer : light clothing, comfortable shoes for
visits and walks, a hat to protect you from the
sun. French people dress elegantly in town, even in
summer, but at the seaside you can walk around in a
swimming costume or shorts nearly everywhere. In
the north don't forget your raincoat, and if you
are visiting the mountains, it is much cooler,
especially in the evening.
In winter, even in the south, you need a good warm
coat with you, and an umbrella.
For business meetings, suit and tie are the general
rule.
Banks
The opening
hours are normally from 8h30 to 12h30 and from
13h30 to 16h30.
Exchange counters in the banks often close earlier,
but there are exchange bureaus everywhere, often
offering better rates than you will find in the
banks.
Credit cards are
accepted everywhere, and there are plenty of
automatic distributers.
Several foreign
banks have branches in France, especially in Paris.
In other towns you will find French banks such as :
Banque de France (the central bank), Banque
Nationale de Paris, Crédit Agricole,
Crédit Lyonnais, Crédit du Nord,
Société Générale
Schools
& education
The
schooling system in France is free (State schools)
and there are also private fee-paying
schools.
Rate of school
attendance up to 16 years of age : 95.2%.
Literacy : 98.8%.
Pre-schooling
: from 3 to
5 years old
Elementary
and primary schools :
- C.P.
(6 years old) - CE1 (7 years old) - CE2 (8 years
old) - CM1 (9 years old) - CM2 (10 years old)
High
school : 6th
form (11 years old), 5th, 4th, 3rd, Second, First,
Terminal, ending with the Baccalauréat exam,
permitting, depending on the results, access to
different higher study centres.
Higher
education :
Universities : there
are 91 universities
To be accepted
students must have passed the French
Baccalauréat or an equivalent
exam.
All the larger
towns have upper educations facilities, with
accomodation, canteens, sport centres
etc.
You can find some
of the education centres in our listing in 'Useful
Addresses'.
Guides
Petite
Planète
Guide Bleu
Guide Michelin
Observations
Information
Tipping
:
Taxes
and service charges are included in the bill, but
tips are still appreciated.
Shopping
:
Each
region has its specialities, whether handicraft
and/or gastronomy
Clothes are not very expensive compared to other
European countries and the quality is very
good.
Tourists appreciate French luxury brands : Louis
Vuitton, Dior , Chanel, etc.
Wine, perfume ...
Sports & leisure :
Ski : there are
several ski stations in France
(Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Alpes du Sud, near the
Italian border, les Hautes
Pyrénées).
You can even ski in some stations in summer
(l’Alpe d’Huez, les Deux-Alpes, Tignes,
Val d’Isère, etc.).
If you prefer cross country skiing, you will enjoy
the stations in the Jura, the Vercors and the
Vosges.
Rafting : The
Durance with its rapids and its whirlpools is a
paradise for rafting fans and
daredevils.
Mountaineering,
cross country cycling, diving, hiking, horse
riding, .....
Gardens :
French-style, Italian, medieval or
contemporary.
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